Step 3. Wear a boob harness – it’s like the Blade Runner of bras.
NOT knocking anyone who naturally has a “thigh gap”, just poking fun at all the “fitspiration” that centers around this one quirk of genetics, weight and hip width. I recently read a post on a prominent healthy living blog (not linking, sorry) that had a whole list of criteria as to whether or not your thigh gap – how much daylight you can see between your upper legs – is legit or not. No less than 12 rules that included things like “Your heels AND big toes must be touching” and “You may not arch your back” and “sitting doesn’t count!!” because apparently there is a rash of counterfeit thigh gaps plaguing the Internet? They even used a Victoria’s Secret MODEL as an example of a faker! Somebody alert the FCC.
Anyhow, I picked this meme for (anti)Fitspo Friday since my thighs have long been my biggest source of body hate. But thanks to time, perspective and a whole lotta help from you guys, I’m really learning to not only love them for what they can do but even for how they look, including the fact that they’ll never not touch (they’re BFFs!).My curves mean I can rock the heck out of a pencil skirt! Which I take advantage of fairly often:
Don’t worry, my thighs are still lovin’ all over each other under the coat! Which sounds dirtier than I meant it to. Trench coats just do that.
In addition, since this blog is pretty much my journal too (I have it printed in book form since it contains soooo many fun memories!) I’ve decided to start including some more mini-posts like funny things my kids say. Feel free to be entertained. Or not. These are totally for me, ’cause I’m too lazy to really scrapbook 🙂
This is even funnier if you’ve ever met Jonas – he is my one who is always SO SERIOUS.
Anyone else feel like this whole “thigh gap” trend has gotten out of control? I mean if a Victoria’s Secret has thighs that touch that pretty much makes it a non-issue, right? Just for funzies (because I’m obsessed with coats!): What’s your fave fall jacket/coat you’re wearing this season? (Links are totally welcomed!!)
Thankfully, I have been ignorant if the extent of the thigh-gap obsession. Seriously, we get the bit between our teeth & we just hold on, don’t we?!?! (I currently have no gap between my 2 front teeth, but that’s because I wore braces, a headgear, and a retainer for YEARS! I admit it, I had work done!)
The only time my non- gappy thighs really bother me is when it’s hot & they rub together. Chafing, dontcha know!
Fitspo is a weird thing. I’m glad I’m too old to really know about it.
My fave jacket is from REI: it has the word “cloud” in the name, is soft & puffy & warm, and is like a wearable hug!
(LOVE the ensemble in the photo!)
Thank you,
this is enlightening for me, I have seen the thigh-gap thing on the internet and assumed it to be normal for women who have a good figure (aka who are thin). I myself am losing weight because of my new healthy living stile and never had a thigh-gap, I’m very curious whether I’ll get one or not, but I won’t be making a big deal out of it anymore.
Although, like Alyssa(azusmom) said, I’d like to have thighs that don’t touch because of that chafing thing, now I always wear cycling short whenever I wear a skirt, which is inconvenient in summer.
I like to wear long coats, I just feel amazing when wearing one, don’t know why.
Woman, get yourself some anti chafing gel/cream and you can go bike short free (unless you like them for modesty). Monistat (yes the vagina creme folks) make a nice anti-chafe gel that’s powdery and lasts a good long time. You can also get anti chafe sticks designed for exercise. I use the stick on my thighs and my arms (the insides of my upper arms are super sensitive and the seams of some of my exercise shirts rub them raw).
anti-chafe gel, I never knew that existed.
Thanks for the tip
Good to know, thanks! 🙂
Another great anti-chafe cream is lanacane.
Jut going to add that according to Pinterest, there is surgery you can get (specific lipo?) to create or widen a thigh gap. Because you just had to know that to go about your day.
Wow. I’ve been through my share of eating disorders and body image issues, but I never wanted the elusive thigh gap! This must be a new thing that wasn’t around back when I was dieting! (Whew!!!) I love wearing puffy vests! They are so warm! I hope they never go out of style! I’d provide a link, but I am sure you all know what I’m talking about.
No chance I will ever have a thigh gap. My jacket/coat of the moment: http://www.neonbuddha.net/collections/?sea=201401&cat=9&sty=6841 in deep royal.
I have never had (nor will I ever have) a thigh gap. My thighs are BFFs too! LOL!! I’ve lost nearly 50 lbs but I have some loose skin on my inner thighs that I’m really not proud of, but without surgery I think that skin is here to stay. Now that’s not to say that I am not doing what I can with healthy eating and exercise to improve my thighs, but I draw the line at a scalpel!! And actually, my hubby told me recently that the thigh gap is not attractive to him…makes the woman look too thin to him…so it’s a win-win situation for me! Hahaha!! I think we all just need to embrace our bodies, take care of our health, and do the best with what God gave us!
My favorite coat/jacket is a “vintage” GAP peacoat that I bought on sale about 10 years ago. It’s red, seems to fit me at any weight, and makes me feel totally put-together.
I have no opinion about tight gap, but I love your kids’ conversation, and I love your clothes! 🙂
Ooops, that was supposed to read THIGH gap, LOL.
Lol about the SWAT team comment! As for thigh gap, well, my thighs have been a major contributor to my body angst since before I can remember and even when I was at my absolute lowest adult weight, one that was near skeletal, my thighs still touched. Despite my years of angst, now at 40, I have finally made peace with those thighs and this body in general. They touch, no matter how much I lunge or press, they jiggle, they have hail damage on the back but they have carried this body on lots of adventures and I can hide their flaws quite easily in a good pair of jeans so I can live with it all.
My thighs are a major ongoing issue for me and my body image. The only time I had rather substantial thigh gap was at the height of my eating disorder, but I also lost most of my butt and breasts at that point as well.
I hate to admit it, but I still use the amount of space between my thighs as a marker for my weight and size. I certainly don’t have a gap like that mannequin, and the very tops of my inner thighs almost always touch, but I do get some daylight between the tops and the knees. Always looking for more daylight.
From the sound of it, it’s a good thing I don’t read any of that fitspo nonsense (really this blog is the only body-oriented thing I read). I have enough of my own issues of unknown origin, I don’t need to add to them.
Meh to the thigh gap. Fine if it’s normal for you, but it’s otherwise a silly goal. I’ve been plagued by the desire for a flat stomach, but thankfully I’ve never been subject to too much worry about my thighs…other than not wanting them to chafe.
The SWAT comment reminds me so much of the dry humor of one my good friends. She kills me with her deadpan delivery. Too funny!
These are my jackets for fall. I totally splurged, but loved them both so much:
Military Jacket from Free People
Military Ruffle Jacket from Free People I got this one in black, though it’s almost a really dark navy. Love the look!
I want a thigh gap! Not for the look. Think of the reduction in wear out of the crotch of my favorite jeans.
My arm jacket is the best for fall!! This post made me literally laugh out loud. It’s funny because i’ve never been worried about the thigh gap..if I did I might not have a great butt! 🙂
Ugh, one more disordered behavior to put a pretty dress on and call “fitspo”. I find it super gross. Keep it away from me!
On a better note, I found this (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Betsey-Johnson-Black-Wool-blend-Hooded-Coat-/300960208067) jacket in a gorgeous hunter green for a steal and I’m so excited to wear it when it gets just a tiny bit cooler. And I think it looks even better on me than the stick-like model if I do say so 😉
Can you really have a thigh gap if you have any kind of muscle tone? Never thought tqwice about it until I met someone who actualyl had one… i was complaining about chafing and skirts and the person was like: what do you mean? She had no concept of it… Even at my leanest, they touch, it’s genetic . Fine with it minus the dreaded chafing, and as someone else said, wear and tear in favorite pants/ jeans.
Favorite jacket when it gets cold is my black and white 3/4 length double-brested with bows yet almost military looking Betsey jJhnson jacket, love that thing. But not cold enough yet. My other one is this http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/la-marque-funnel-neck-leather-jacket-petite/3499984?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=60139439&fashionColor=&resultback=1060&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-searchresults-_-undefined_4_C
I had a thigh gap before thigh gaps were cool…a hipster thigh gap? That was when I was 15, though, and looked like a concentration camp survivor. I just had wide (good birthin’)hips and scrawny chicken legs.It was genetics and now genetics say my thighs will touch. And I don’t care. It seems like such an odd thing to fixate on.I really feel for girls growing up in the age of selfies and photoshop. It seems even easier to feel like crap about yourself.
As for coats, my fave fall coat is a black trench coat I got years ago at Old Navy for a song. My favorite winter coat is my Eddie Bauer down knee-length coat. It’s red with a giant hood trimmed in fake fur. It’s perfect for our long, cold, MN winter. It keeps me toasty, and that’s the most important thing.
I love the conversation between your boys. Why Hawaii? AndI love how the other boy is considering it as a viable option… My 4 year old is obsessed with the number 189. Any time he needs to use a random number it is that one. So I asked him why he likes the number 189 so much. He paused for a beat and then said,” Ummmm, because it’s bigger than 35.” So. There you go.
There are rules for thigh gap? Wow. (and, of course, I’m going to google it now so I can be shocked and amused and then mock it like a mo-fo)
My thighs are cozy with each other, too. The only time I have thigh gap is when I’m doing sumo squats! It means I get a lot of chub rub in my pants, but that just means I need to start buying higher quality clothes (the world won’t end if I spend more than $20 on a pair of pants!)
(this is kind of random but the thigh thing made me remember it and I thought you’d get a laugh over it so. . .http://asseenontv-canada.com/amazing-arms/. . .YES, it’s control top panty hose for your upper arms. . .how is that really hiding your arm chub if you cover it in tights that you can see under your clothes. . .wait, I need to stop thinking about it and just enjoy the humor of it all)
This is not intended as thigh-gap bashing, but I’ve always thought it looked less natural to have a gap between the thighs. For some reason, I think our legs are meant to touch. Barbie dolls have gaps between their legs, so maybe that’s where I got that – or maybe it’s just what I tell myself, since I have thighs that love one another. Either way, I don’t get the obsession over having legs that do not touch. I can rock a chair pose with my legs that seal together so easily!
Oh man, this made me laugh and smile. I too hate hate hate my legs always have probably always will because since I swear I was 10 they have had this load of fat on them that won’t go away – even in my most strongest days and when I weighed the least, the fat pads remained the same. Oh well that’s my genes can’t change that. But I laughed at the ’12 rules’ some things that people fixate on. I know I have my things that I fixate on and of course I feel their are legit but to each their own!
I finally have made peace with my thighs after they spent decades being the body part I couldn’t stand. I specifically hated how my thighs touched. I never knew it was a “thing” though. Now I’m just happy to have a strong healthy body that can keep up with my crazy kids. But when I was younger I spent way too much time hating on my poor upper thighs.
Love it! I am with Micah……no shoes if I don’t have to!
Meow. You look great.
The whole thigh gap thing annoys me. For me, barring starvation, I will never have one. Most women won’t…
Yes it makes shorts more comfortable to have less thigh love going on now that I’m thinner, but really? Must we give women yet another thing to feel inadequate about? Sheesh…
Wow, I had no idea that “thigh gap” was a thing. Clear proof that fitspo has jumped the shark, given how many athletic, muscular women do not have a thigh gap (sheesh, if I keep heels and toes together, I only have small gaps between my knees and ankles – thighs and calves meet everywhere else because muscles!).
Also, sometimes a thigh gap is just bandy legs.
Oh Charlotte, you’ve got to check out the retro cape style coat I’ve made! I’ve been documenting The Great Cape Adventure on my blog (though YOU can see pictures of the finished cape on Facebook!)
A long, long, long time ago I dreamed that I would once have thigh gap. As I got older (and wiser), though, I realized it just wasn’t in the cards. When I looked at the women in my family, no one has had thigh gap; not even my super tiny, petite aunt! Using that an indicator for anything is pretty ridiculous.
Anyway, my coats are pretty boring because they consist of Columbia jackets and running jackets.
When I didn’t get a thigh gap at 88 lbs and 5’5” I pretty much knew it had to be genetics. (Not that thigh gap was a goal of my anorexia… I just wanted to escape my sexuality, long story).
But now I’m happy not to have one. It means my hips are narrow, which means I’m better suited for running. And as it happens, my large quads and hamstrings make me very fast. I haven’t seen any runners ahead of me with a ‘thigh gap,’ I legitimately look more at the muscle now. Not that I don’t have other body image issues–it’s just, how many sprinters or milers do you see with a thigh gap?
I seriously don’t think I’ve ever had a thigh gap in my life, but the thigh gap trend makes me laugh. It just looks so forced in some photos. Anyway, was going to ask about all your cute coats. Where do you find them as I’m in major need of a coat update!
First of all, I love your outfit. You have the best style. Thigh gap? Waste of time. I just hope the new phenom isn’t putting awful ideas in our girls heads.
I love peacoats. But maybe not as much as I love the sign hanging in the store behind you in your picture. What is it about the humping banana they are apologizing for? Haha
Nice outfit there!
I’ve talked to women in their late sixties and I was surprised to hear that this “thigh-gap” stuff has been around for a long time, although it may not have had a name. Maybe it’s all Twiggy’s fault!
I guess it’s a sign of the stuff I like on Facebook and the blogs I read, but I’ve only ever heard of thigh gap in the context of ANTI thigh gap. But I’m astonished by the rule you mentioned, “sitting doesn’t count!” Is there anyone anywhere whose thighs don’t touch when they sit down? Egad.
Another option for creating a thigh gap:
1. Step one, stand with legs at least 3 ft apart
2. Marvel @ your gap
🙂
OMG, I laughed so hard when I read this. I’m glad someone’s saying it.
P.S. I never thought a thigh gap was humanly possible until in high school when a friend had said something like Oh my God, who’s thighs rub together? and me and my BFF were like yeah I know, and then we turn to each other and say mine do /:
I’ve always thought thigh gaps look weird–like it’s leaving your vagina unprotected and totally open to the elements.
Thigh gap or no thigh gap I want that skirt. Seriously.
I wrote about this crazy trend with young women & girls a while back – friggin craziness! I just have no words!
This is hilarious! As a guy, I have of course never been concerned about the gap between my thighs, nor have I ever even thought about it. I never even knew that it was something women thought about or compared until this post. What I have taken from it is that the gap is not a realistic feature of the body unless your bone structure and body weight align just perfectly, therefore it shouldn’t even be given much thought anyway between women. Also, your kids are too funny!
As a petite person, just like the other people in my family, I’ve always had a thigh gap and didn’t even know not everyone did until one of my friends mentiomed her thighs chafing when she runs. Just goes to show how much these things depend on genetics and how little sense there is in everyone trying to be the same…like my adolescent desire for wavy hair. My hair is still as straight as a ruler.